The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a reproducing apparatus which are adapted to record/reproduce a video signal by converting it into a digital signal and more particularly to an apparatus suitable for limiting copy or copying of software (the contents of a recorded recording medium).
Conventionally, as a method for limiting copy of software in a video signal recording/reproducing apparatus, a technique as described in JP-A-61-288582 whose priority is U.S. Ser. No. 724,006, filed on Apr. 17, 1985 has been used principally wherein a false synchronization pulse is inserted to prevent normal recording. According to this, detection of a video signal level is effected erroneously in the presence of the false synchronization pulse during recording, so that a gain control circuit is operated erroneously to give rise to an unsatisfactory recording result.
The aforementioned conventional technique is for causing the gain control circuit of the recording apparatus to erroneously operate to thereby obtain an unsatisfactory recording result but essentially, it does not inhibit recording operation completely and therefore the results of copy or copying of software inhibited from being copied depend on the performance of the recording apparatus to some extent. Further, the presence or absence of the false synchronization pulse can in effect permit a simple limitation on copying but failed to take care of software which is scheduled to be copied permissibly only once but is inhibited from undergoing the second and ensuing copy operations (namely, in the case where the number of copy operations is limited).
Also, JP-A-2-89255 discloses a digital audio tape recorder (DAT) wherein a copy control signal of two bits indicative of permission/inhibition of copy is added to a digital audio signal, the permission/inhibition of copy of the digital audio signal and a limitation on the number of copy operations are decided on the basis of the copy control signal, and control of copy of the digital audio signal is executed in accordance with a result of the decision.